This invention relates to an improved self-contained electrosurgical cautery of the disposable type which preferably is adatped to be prepackaged in sterilized ready-to-use condition.
More specifically the invention relates to disposable electrical cauteries used in a dual capacity to effect the coagulation and/or closing off the terminal portions of severed blood vessels and to simultaneously draw off excess blood from the surgical opening or wound.
The prior art is known to encompass various electrosurgical instruments including some electrical cauteries embodying hand-held electrosurgical electrodes connected through an electrical conductor wire to an electrosurgical unit, some of which utilize an inactive electrode in plate form or the like beneath the patient, and further connect the latter electrode to the electrosurgical unit which is properly grounded.
While some of these prior art devices have provided innovative and improved surgical procedures and results, much of the currently available equipment still suffers from certain of the following disadvantages. 1. Inadequate thermal insulation provided by only thin plastic coatings around relatively thin pencil-like electrodes. These electrodes get unbearably hot, particularly during heavy usage, and must be cooled before the operation can be completed. Such delays endanger the patient and are otherwise costly. 2. Unsafe electrical insulation which evolves from repeated cycles of usage and resterilization, which tend to crack and chip the insulation on known prior art devices. These usually cause short circuits often resulting in electrical burns or shock to the user severe enough to burn holes in rubber operating gloves. Further, this tends to contaminate the operating field, and the surgeon often must continue to operate with painful burns.
3. Unreliable electrical connectors, evolving from the electrical connectors and interconnecting wire being subjected to repeated resterilization whereby they become unreliable after a few uses. Operations are frequently delayed when one of the connectors shorts out and requires repair.
4. Resterilization takes costly time, and they are difficult to sterilize as a result of the time delay between completion of operations and cleansing of the instruments, during which delay blood and other tissue remaining in the sucker tube or barrel of the electrode tends to dry and cling to the inside wall thereof in spite of regular washing. This residue breeds bacteria which is frequently not killed in sterilization because steam and disinfectant gases do not adequately vent through the thin tubing of the barrel. In normal surgical procedure, the barrel often becomes clogged with tissue and must be cleared by inserting a thin wire. Withdrawing this wire brings with it the bacteria lodged there and contaminates the sterile operating field.
5. Poor human engineering has provided present electrodes which are unwieldly and difficult to use with precision. The very thin barrel of the electrode is too small to grip securely, especially with moist surgical gloves; and the heavy rubber tubing and wire connector at the rear of such prior art electrodes make them extremely unbalanced. Furthermore, the separately extended or hanging vacuum tubing and electrical conductor wiring of the prior art cauterizers tend to interfere with and impede efficient surgical and operating room procedures. Also because a cautery's electrical resistance changes after each use, the associated electrical power source must be re-adjusted almost each time.
6. The discomfort and possibility of infection associated with currently available electrodes forces many surgeons to use slower more difficult means of controlling bleeding in spite of the decided advantages offered by cauterization afforded by prior art electrosurgical units such as the CSV BOVIE manufactured by the Ritter Equipment Company, a division of Sybron Corporation.
In order to alleviate the foregoing problems and disadvantages, the present improved inventions were developed and have been successfully used.